François II, Duke of Nevers

François II de Clèves, duc de Nevers et comte de Rethel (c. 1540 – 10 January 1563) was a French Prince étranger, military commander and governor of Champagne. Beginning his military career during the latter Italian Wars, he fought under François, Duke of Guise in Italy as captain of light horse.

In the reign of Charles IX, he ascended to his father's position as governor of Champagne. In this position, he initially showed favour to his co-religionists, encouraging their church services when he visited Troyes in November 1561. With the outbreak of the French Wars of Religion the following year, he confirmed this attitude with a promise of support to the leader of the rebels, Condé. However, after this point he would retreat from his support of the Protestant cause.

When the Protestants of Troyes, one of the primary cities of his governate, attempted a coup in favour of Condé in April 1562, Nevers travelled to the city, urging the Protestants to withdraw from the gates they had seized and disarm. In the following months, he sought to chart a middle path, encouraging Catholics and Protestants to share control of the city government and militia. However, when he withdrew from the town, he left it under the authority of his subordinate Bordes who began persecuting the towns Protestants. Nevers, increasingly uninterested, supported Bordes in his brutal capture of the town of Bar-sur-Seine which had been taken by Protestant rebels. After this, he seized a château near Reims that had been taken by Protestants, executing the garrison. In December, now with the royal army in Normandy, he fought for the crown at the Battle of Dreux where he was fatally wounded, dying several weeks later.